Event Review
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IAAPA delights in Turkey Association hosts European get-together in Istanbul
In the city that prides itself on its status as a meeting place of Europe and Asia, IAAPA staged its fourth European Spring Forum last month, bringing together members from 23 countries for a two-programme of seminar and attraction visits. Owen Ralph joined the trip
T
he event, on Thursday 21 and Friday June 22, followed previous IAAPA Europe Spring Forums at Europa-Park (Germany), Efteling (the Netherlands)
and Liseberg, Sweden. Yet whereas those where held as a precursor to the following year’s Euro Attractions Show (EAS) in the same countries (the 2016 show will be in Barcelona), this latest edition was chosen as part of IAAPA’s desire to focus on emerging markets and also its European office’s mission to recruit new members from further east. Turkey, rich in history, is fast becoming a hotspot for
parks and attractions. The country already boasts a significant number of family entertainment centres and “luna parks”, but now a new generation of themed attractions is emerging, and two of them were included on the Spring Forum itinerary: Vialand and KidZania. But before the 130+ delegates got to play, first there
was business to attend to, starting with a series of IAAPA committee meetings on Wednesday May 20 at the headquarters hotel, the Conrad Hilton. Then on Thursday morning it was onto the bus for the 45-minute drive to Vialand, the theme park and shopping mall opened two years ago as part of one of Europe’s largest urban regeneration projects.
The mix of amusement and retail is not new in Turkey,
noted the park’s general manager Tolga Alisoglu in his welcome address. This “360°” approach was pioneered at early spice bazaars and fairs, at which various entertainment was also provided. But Vialand is part of a new era, built by a company that already operates retail
Vialand theme park
businesses including the city’s Viaport mall and soon Viaport Marina, both with rides.
Let’s speak safety As with last year’s Spring Forum at Liseberg, the first day of the seminar programme, chaired by IAAPA Europe vice- president Karen Staley, focused on safety, starting with a session from Michele Bertazzon of the famous Italian ride manufacturing family and EAASI president Gianni Chiari. As well as updates on standardisation, issues raised included how long you can suspend someone upside down, the need to establish an acceleration limit for children and Gianni’s sage observation that, “people want more emotion and sensation but the human body has been basically the same for 20,000 years.” Following the Italian duo’s presentation, Marcus Brian of Merlin Entertainments brought us up to speed on waterpark safety. Paul Chatelot, prevention, safety and environment director for Disneyland Paris, concluded the afternoon’s education with a presentation on safety culture. More in-depth discussion on the above (the programme at Spring Forum was more relevant to some attendees than others) will be offered on the IAAPA Safety Institute held ahead of EAS in Gothenburg on October 5. So, after 2,5 hours in a darkened room, it was time for some al fresco action. Guided tours of both park and mall were offered by Vialand staff. Although operations manager Cem Tuna admitted “the park is my home, not so much the shopping mall,” the latter facility did feature some offerings of interest including the Joy Park FEC, a trolley bus
Vialand shopping mall
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ABOVE, FROM LEFT: Ali Benham, consultant; Antonio Zamperla and Alesssandra Pollo, Zamperla; Reggy Mortier, Barco TOP RIGHT, FROM LEFT: Karen Staley, IAAPA Europe; Tolga Alisoglu, Vialand; Gerardo Arteaga; IAAPA chairman
JUNE 2015
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